Circle Limit III 1959

M.C. Escher made this drawing, Circle Limit III, with pen and ink, and colored pencil, with an approach that's all about methodical precision. The drawing has these tessellated fish that get smaller and smaller as they approach the edge. There’s a beautiful tension between the precision of the lines and the implied infinity of the pattern. It's like he's trying to capture something that's beyond representation, to make the infinite visible. The paper itself has a warmth, like aged parchment, and the red dots scattered throughout add a delicate touch. Escher’s work reminds me a bit of Sol LeWitt’s wall drawings, with their systematic approach and their engagement with mathematical concepts. But Escher brings this playful, imaginative element to it, as if he's charting a world where logic and fantasy collide. You can see the process, the planning and the making all at once.